Once Upon a Full Moon
by KatInTheHat-007
Summary: James Potter and Lily Evans? Please. She hates him. They would never... Or would they?
1. Chapter 1

James Potter was running for his life? No.

Correction: James Potter was running for his _love _life.

"James? James!" Tiffany yelled after the boy, completely clueless about him not fancying her, at all. "I'm coming James!"

James swerved between the other students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, trying to lose her and ignore the freezing winter air at the same time. He knew nothing about this girl, just that she was completely mental and in her fifth year. Oh, and that his best friend Sirius Black had just dumped her sorry butt. He didn't even know which house she wa—"Alright James! I'll just meet you in the common room!" Okay, so now he knew her house…

"Bloody hell!" He wailed. He always has been awful at turning girls down, especially when they cried. He was only in his 6th year, after all. What to do, what to do?

He paused, an idea forming in his head. Yes, yes. This was a keeper! He felt a grin spread across his face, much like in the muggle movie, "_How the Grinch Stole Christmas_".

He clapped his hands together and began walking towards the common room again.

"James?!" Tiffany yelped.

Scratch that, he was sprinting. He almost fell off the revolving stair case twice.

He burst through the painting, checking over his shoulder for Tiffany. No sign of her—yet. He let out a deep breath, searching around the common room for a certain someone he had been looking for.

There she was! She was a vision in a sweatshirt, leggings, boots and a knit hat. (It was the weekend, after all.) She always amazed him with the incredibly muggle clothes she tended to wear, telling him they wear hand-me-downs from her older sister, Petunia. James ran over to Lily Evans desperately.

"Evans! I need your help!" He yelled. Making the other two people in the common room look at him curiously, but they soon went back to their business.

Lily turned around abruptly at the sound of the panic in James's voice, making the shoulder of her over-sized muggle sweatshirt fall over. "Potter?" She took in the sight of him, her heart skipping a beat.

His hair was ruffled, and he was wearing khakis and a black coat, making his black rectangular glasses stand out. "Potter, what's wrong?" She asked.

His eyes slipped over the sight of her bare shoulder before returning back to her bright green eyes. "I need you to kiss me." He said, very seriously.

Lily snorted, sitting down in a fluffy red chair and throwing her feet over the side. "Please, Potter. You're starting to sound pathetic." She opened her favorite book— _Hogwarts, A History_.

"No, no! C'mon! There's a girl chasing after me and if she sees that I'm currently unavailable, she'll leave me be! C'mon Evans! Besides," James added with a smirk, waggling his eyebrows in her face, "You know you want to!"

Lily threw her head back, laughing so hard. "Oh Potter, you and your petty little girl problems." She looked at him again. "And that last statement really just made me not want to kiss you." She stated, without realizing that she just admitted that she did, in fact, want to kiss him.

Upon noticing her mistake, she turned scarlet and slapped her hand to her forehead. "Oh bloody hell…"

James grinned from ear to ear, and stuck his finger in her face. "Aha! I knew it!" He exclaimed, dancing around in a circle, then returned to facing Lily.

"Pucker up Evans!" He grinned down at the blushing red head. He surveyed her standing up slowly. He couldn't believe she was actually doing this!

Lily felt like she was going to explode. Her first kiss! Okay, calm down Lily, you don't want to scare him.

"You owe me one Potter…" She mumbled as she leaned in. James grinned, put his hands on her face and pulled her in. He could even feel her face heat up under his fingers. He didn't, however, notice Tiffany standing at the Portrait hole, jealousy evident on her bright red face.

Lily did notice, none the less. She pulled away and grabbed James's hand, lacing her fingers through his. She couldn't help but notice how perfect this felt, even if it was an act. She blushed and looked up at him with a small smile on her face.

James had a goofy grin on his face, until he heard a huff come from the portrait hole. He looked just in time to see Tiffany turn on her heel and stomp out of the common room, slamming the portrait hole shut.

Lily smiled smugly. She slowly let go of his hand before plopping back down in the chair and resuming her original position, opening her book, and pretending to read. In reality, her head was spinning from the kiss and the expression on his face before he saw Tiffany.

She wasn't surprised it was Tiffany, she had just broken up with Sirius. Usually when girls go out with Sirius, they move on to James, or vice versa. Her smile widened.

James pulled up a chair close to Lily's directly across from her. So close, his leg was touching her hip. "So. How was it?" He cooed.

Lily giggled, "You still owe me Potter." She tapped her chin sarcastically, "Now, what should I make you do?"

James chuckled, but leaned closer. "It's not like you didn't like it, Evans." He wanted to get up and dance again when he saw how he had made her breathe hitch by just getting nearer to her.

"You really must work on your arrogance, Potter." She replied, patting his head. She got up to leave and grabbed her book smiling sweetly and saying, "See you around."

He watched her leave out through the portrait of the Fat Lady, and stayed in the chair for about twenty minutes before Sirius came in. He couldn't stop thinking about her, the kiss, her smell, her hair (oh Merlin, _her hair_) her smile, the way he made her blush and _OH MERLIN HE_ _WAS GOING TO GO INSANE_.

"Prongsy boo," Sirius said excitedly, "I heard you got some from Evans!" Sirius nudged James in the ribs playfully.

James shot up out of his chair. Whoa, not the response Sirius expected. "What?! Who told you that?!" He yelled furiously. "It happened, like, a half an hour ago!" He gestured towards his watch frustratedly.

Sirius took a step back, shock evident on his face. "Tiffany's going around telling everyone that you and Evans were getting it on in the common room…"

James rolled his eyes and grabbed his hair with both his hands. "No, no, no! We just kissed! That's it, an innocent little kiss. Yeah, should've known Tiffany would do that. Wait, why are you talking to Tiffany again? You two broke up yesterday!"

Sirius turned a light shade of pink. "She came to see me and apologized for being too clingy… She was pretty persuasive, mate." He gave James a half smile, "But right after we got back together she told me about you and Evans, and told me to go ask you since I didn't believe her."

James ran both his hands through his hair. "Sirius! Lily's going to be so pissed! The whole school's going to think we shagged or something, and…"

James paused. "Did I just call her Lily?"

Sirius chuckled and nodded. "You did." He smiled wider and began patting his back as he left leaving James to think.

"Oh and don't worry." Sirius added before leaving, "I'm on my way to dump Tiffany. A cute Hufflepuff was giving me the look anyway." He swaggered away.

James rolled his eyes. "What would the world do without Sirius Black?"

He shuffled around the common room, realizing how much he loved to say the word Lily. But eventually felt he need some air, so he stepped through the portrait hole and jogged outside, disappearing in the white blanket of snow.

Meanwhile, Lily was in the Library. She usually spent her weekends here, sometimes with Remus Lupin. They had a spot somewhat near the back, and not many people knew about it. There were two chairs and piles of books that Lily and Remus have torn though in one sitting. He was the only person she actually enjoyed being around that loved books as much as her.

But alas, today she was alone. Completely engrossed in a book, she didn't notice that two hours had passed. Upon realizing this, she gathered her things and got up to leave.

When she found her way out of Library, she returned the book to the clerk and stepped outside. At first, she hadn't even noticed the smirks and stares, before a Slytherin approached her. "So, Evans, is it free or did he have to pay?" He reached his arm around her. Lily was dumbfounded, she had no idea what he was talking about. So she just stared, feeling her eyebrows crawl higher and higher up her face.

"You know exactly what I mean, so don't look at me like that." His finger began tracing her collar bone. "I'd be willing…"

"Avery, stop." Severus Snape spat harshly. Lily sent Severus a thank-you look, but he wasn't looking at her. He was glaring at Avery with such intensity that it gave Lily goosebumps.

"Thank you, Sev…" Lily breathed, still nervous about having Avery (of all people!) touch her that way. He looked over at her fiercely. "How-How could you?" Lily looked shocked, but he just shook his head. "Go- just go."

Lily was so confused, but she left before she started crying in front of everyone. Because really, the whole court yard was watching.

She got many glares from girls she didn't even know in the hallway and sniggers from boys she's never even seen before. She even got whistled at a few times. When she finally reached the portrait whole she wanted to cry with relief. "What in the Wizarding World is going on?" She yelled, frustrated. She slammed the painting shut.

She almost wanted to leave again.

Tiffany was standing in the middle of a bunch of fifth years, pointing and laughing, directly at Lily. At this point, Lily was really rather sick of this funny business. "Something funny, _girls_?" Lily spat out, emphasizing the last word. She realized most of the Gryffindor house was in the common room at the moment.

Tiffany smirked. "Oh nothing, we were all just wondering how big James is. I'm guess it was his first time too?"

Ah, Lily thought. So that's why everyone was acting so strange. Lily just laughed, even though she was trying to hide tears, but they weren't evident. "How does it feel, Tiffany? Having to make up lies about other people to make you feel better for being turned down by James? Oh, and dumped by Sirius."

Tiffany stood up a bit straighter. "Sirius and I got back together, thank you very much." Lily's left eyebrow raised, staring at Tiffany.

They stayed like this for a moment before everyone in the Gryffindor common room heard Sirius yell, "Oh bloody hell, I forgot!" He scrambled out of his seat by the fireplace.

"Go! Go, c'mon. Just do it!" Peter Pettigrew and Remus were urging Sirius forward.

Sirius and Tiffany had a quiet conversation, while everyone in the common room exchanged glances, knowing full well what was going on. When they were finished talking, Sirius walked away, a small smile evident on his face.

Lily rolled her eyes. She seriously felt sorry for Tiffany, but she took it too far. Tiffany glared at Lily, waiting for her to say something.

Lily just shook her head and pushed past her and the rest of the Gryffindors so she could get up to her dorm room. Out of the blue, everyone in the room turned dead silent, and Lily heard the painting swing shut.

_Please don't be James…_

There he was. All of the problems in her life. The only problem in her life. But then again, the only good thing in her life. His glasses were askew, his hair going in every direction. There was even mud splashed on his pants.

"James…" Lily said quietly. She shook her head and made her way up to her dorm, without looking back, despite hearing the calls from Sirius and James.

* * *

Review? Love it? Hate it? Should I stop? Lemme know!

~Kat xx


	2. Chapter 2

Lily woke up the next day with streaks down her face. Yes, they were from crying. Yes, there were even marks on her sheets from her tears. No, she could not show them to you because the house elves probably already got them and cleaned for her.

She wasn't even hungry, so Lily skipped breakfast. Besides, she didn't want to show up at the Great Hall and have everyone there 'oooh' and 'aaah' over this week's Hogwarts scandal.

So, instead, Lily went to the library. (I mean, duh.) And it was Sunday, so she didn't have any classes.

She plopped down in the large brown chair that she has claimed for her own. Honestly, she felt like crying again.

Instead, she read fairytales about pretty blonde girls who have no issues getting a fantastic guy to love her. So much so, he would risk his life. Why couldn't she have a man like that?

She blew a hair out of her face, frustrated with her circumstances.

At that moment, James Potter was also very frustrated with his circumstances. "I just don't even understand why she would be upset with _me_." James huffed, placing his hands on his chest for emphasis.

Remus rolled his eyes. "Maybe next time you shouldn't drag the actual girl you fancy into you're girl problems." He leaned in closer. "Especially with Tiffany. She's bad news…" He eyed Sirius, making sure he heard him.

James kept looking up towards the tall doors leading into the Great Hall, hoping Lily would show up for breakfast. Peter saw him watching.

"She's not thick, James. Would you want to face the school after what's being said about her?" He squeaked.

James exhaled slowly. No, he would not. He brought his attention to the Slytherin table, just in time to see Snape glaring at him. "Bloody hell." He mumbled, nudging Sirius so he saw the upset Slytherin.

Sirius chuckled. "He's fancied Lily forever, mate." James shrugged. This was true. "Oi!" Sirius yelled, and Snape moved his glare over to Sirius, before dropping his gaze to his breakfast.

James chuckled, but turned serious. "So where could I find her?" He looked over his three friends, stopping at Remus. "I bet you would know, Remus." He did his lopsided smile, inching closer to his unsure friend.

"And personally, I think you should tell me. Her and I have some unfinished business." James begged, ignoring Sirius's raised eyebrow. Remus avoided James's eyes. "Mate…"

Lily was reading _Hogwarts, A History_ (again) when she heard someone approaching her. "Go away, Remus." She didn't even look up. "Can I please just be alone?" She flipped to her favorite section; 'Secrets of the Castle'.

Little did she know, it was the exact person she did _not _want to see.

"Um… Hello." James mumbled meekly. Lily clenching her fists was her only response.

James walked around to the brown chair across from Lily's. She didn't look up from her book, "Remus." She growled through gritted teeth. James nodded slowly. "Yeah…"

She snapped her head up to him. "It wasn't a question, Potter." James flinched.

"I'm so sorry, Lily." He said tenderly, avoided her fierce eyes. "I shouldn't have pulled you into my mess of a life. I'm no good at apologies…"

Lily was taken aback by his gentle nature. This was a side of James she had never seen before. "You called me Lily." She said quietly. She had never before appreciated her name as much as she did at that moment. She wanted him to say it again.

He nodded, bringing his brown eyes back up to hers. "I did." He added bluntly.

"Apology accepted."

"Really?" James asked, shocked.

"Yes, James." Lily's face held a small smile. James's heart skipped a beat. She said his name! He grinned broadly and scooted his chair a bit closer to hers.

"Say it again." His grin widened, making goose bumps rise over Lily's skin.

She leaned forward, so close, that their noses were almost touching. James's smiled disappeared as he watched the red head.

She smiled and whispered, "James."

But before James could even react, Lily had reopened her book and leaned back into the chair, curling up in a ball, trying to hide her devious smile.

He stayed in the same spot for a moment, before leaning back in his chair and chuckling. Who knew Lily Evans was such a tease?

Lily was actually happy, before she realized just because her and James were fine again, didn't mean her problems were solved. Her expression saddened.

James wasn't thick, he knew what she was still upset about. He needed to fix things. It was killing him, seeing her upset like this.

"I'm going to fix this, Lily." He said as head jumped out of his seat and made his way over to the way he came in. Lily looked at him, a twinkle in her eye.

"And that's a promise."

James walked quickly over to the Gryffindor common room, ignoring a group of Ravenclaws trying to give him a high five. He marched through the painting and up to the demon girl herself; Tiffany Rogers.

"Rogers, we need to talk." She looked at him with an innocent expression, making James roll his eyes and pull her over to the corner of the common room, away from her annoying and perky friends.

"What's new, Potter?" She asked, checking her bright pink nails for imperfection, pretending talking to James Potter wasn't a big deal. (It was a HUGE deal, in case you weren't aware.)

"What's new?" James asked mockingly through clenched teeth. "How about you apologize, Rogers? How about you tell everyone the truth."

She looked up from her fingers. "James, James, James." She smiled and edged towards him. "She's really not worth it, honey." She pat him on the back. "And besides, that would be such a reputation screw-up."

James was worried smoke was going to start coming out of his ears. He glared at her, without saying a word, then turned on his heel and left.

He was going to the Great Hall. It was almost lunch time, and he had some explaining to do.

He sat at the Gryffindor table, waiting for everyone to pile into the Great Hall. He made no eye contact with anyone, just stared at the empty platters that would soon fill with food. He sat far away from where he and his friends usually sit, hoping they would understand that he wished to be alone.

The Great Hall filled up quickly. When the platters of food finally filled, the Great Hall usually got quiet for a good five minutes, since everyone filled their plates and took their first bites.

This was James's chance. He stood up silently and walked up to where the sorting ceremony takes place.

He coughed, making the attention of the silent Great Hall be turned towards him. He could hear laughs coming from the Slytherin table. He expected to see Snape, but he wasn't there… He didn't have time to worry about that little git.

"I know there has been a lot said about me and Lily Evans this weekend," He started, scanning the room, "And none of it is true. Tiffany made it up, and…" The laughing got louder.

James shot a glare in their direction. "If it was true, would I, James Potter, have stood up here and said it wasn't true?" His expression dared someone to prove him wrong.

It was true, really. The arrogant, self-absorbed, 'player', James Potter would not have stood up there and said this if it was true.

"Great!" He clapped his hands together and smiled. "I would very much appreciate it if you also left Lily alone." He turned around to meet Professor Dumbledore face to face.

"I'm sorry sir, it needed to be said." The Professor nodded.

"That it did."

James smiled and walked down the middle of the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables, avoiding eye contact, but holding his head a bit higher than he was before.

When he passed Peter, Sirius, and Remus, they all smiled and nodded. He did the right thing. James let out a breath.

Lily was still breathing hard minutes after James left. Did he have any idea the affect he had on her? She was still a little angry with him, to be honest.

Okay. She was a lot angry with him. She was looking at her book, but not reading. She needed air. She closed the book and paused. Should she take it with her? Nah. Well… Nah. She lay it down on the chair, and left the library, expecting to return later. "Potter." She sighed, realizing she was back to calling him Potter again.

She was walking around the perimeter of the castle when she ran into him. His back was turned, and he was hunched over so she couldn't tell what he was doing.

"Severus!" Lily smiled, until she remembered how angry he was with her. "Severus we need to talk!" She demanded as she walked up to him.

His head snapped up so quickly, Lily was afraid he broke it. He scrambled something into his robes and turned around.

"Oh, hello Lily." He forced a smile. She was suspicious as to what he was doing before she got there, but she immediately felt the need to apologize to her closest friend.

"Severus, I'm sorry." Lily pleaded. "James and I… I mean, I would never… You know that…" She didn't feel like she needed to finish her sentences.

"It's fine… It's just… I thought we were supposed to be friends?" Snape said. "Best friends?"

"We _are_, Sev. But I don't like some of the people you're hanging round with! I'm sorry, but I detest Avery and Mulciber! _Mulciber_! What do you see in him, Sev, he's creepy! D'you know what he tried to do to Mary Macdonald the other day?"

Lily had reached a pillar and leaned against it, looking up into the thin, sallow face.

"That was nothing," said Snape. "It was a laugh, that's all—"

"It was Dark Magic, and if you think that's funny—"

"What about the stuff Potter and his mates get up to?" demanded Snape. His color rose again as he said it, unable, it seemed, to hold in his resentment.

"What's Potter got to do with anything?" said Lily.

"They sneak out at night. There's something weird about that Lupin. Where does he keep going?"

"He's ill," said Lily. "They said he's ill—"

"Every month at the full moon?" said Snape.

"I know your theory," said Lily, and she sounded cold. "Why are you so obsessed with them anyway? Why do you care what they're doing at night?"

"I'm just trying to show you they're not as wonderful as everyone seems to think they are."

The intensity of his gaze made her blush.

"They don't use Dark Magic, though." She dropped her voice. "And you're being really ungrateful. I heard what happened the other night. You sneaking down that tunnel by the Whomping Willow, and James Potter saved you from whatever's down there—"

Snape's whole face contorted and he spluttered, "Saved? Saved? You think he was playing the hero? He was saving his neck and his friends' too! You're not going to—I won't let you—"

"_Let _me?_ Let_ me?"

Lily's bright green eyes were slits. Snape backtracked at once.

"I didn't mean—I just don't want to see you made a fool of—He fancies you, James Potter fancies you!" The words seemed wrenched from him against his will. "And he's not… everyone thinks… big Quidditch hero—" Snape's bitterness and dislike were rendering him incoherent, and Lily's eyebrows were traveling farther and farther up her forehead.

"I know James Potter is an arrogant toerag." She said, cutting across Snape. "I don't need you to tell me that. But Mulciber's and Avery's idea of humor is just evil. _Evil_, Sev. I don't understand how you can be friends with them."

Lily noticed him genuinely smiling ever since she insulted James. He smiled goofily, "Okay." She doubted he heard anything she said about his awful friends. They began a conversation about Potions class.

Meanwhile, James was walking back to the library to meet up with Lily when he saw her talking to Snape outside.

He was smiling and staring at her in a way James really didn't like. His face heated up, and he turned back to the Great Hall and motioned his friends over.

"Boys, we need to teach Snape a lesson."

* * *

Review! :D


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys! This chapters a bit longer, but I'm not sure I like the way it turned out... lemme know what you think! :)

~Kat

PS- Message me any mistakes you find, there's bound to be some.

* * *

"James… This is foolish." Remus whispered later that afternoon, rubbing his head. He had a headache. "We all know Snape fancies her, but it's quite obvious she doesn't fancy him back…"

James nodded. "Which is why we need to help her get rid of him. He practices dark magic, Moony." Remus took a deep breath but nodded.

"I still don't want any part of it." He added firmly.

James shook his head. "C'mon mate. Just tag along. You don't have to do anything. Besides, you're going to want to get some fun in before tonight…"

Remus considered this, and eventually sighed, giving in.

"I have a date with Rachel Abbott." Peter squeaked excitedly. "So I can't come."

Sirius turned around, his eyebrow raised. "That Hufflepuff 4th year… ?" Peter nodded, while grinning and turning then leaving.

James let out a breath and shook his head. "Gross… Okay, Sirius you ready mate?" Sirius grinned and nodded.

Remus shook his head, trailing behind.

"I'll be right back, Sev." Lily said as jumped up suddenly. "I'm gonna' go get my book from the library." He nodded. "I'll be around here somewhere."

He was pacing. It helped him think. Somehow, Severus was determined to get Lily to understand his actions pertaining to the Dark Arts. They were beautiful really, she just didn't understand yet.

When Mulciber decided to do the same with Snape, (showing him the beauty of the Dark Arts) he used the Cruciatis Curse on him. When he did, Severus's life flashed before his eyes. He really hadn't had that great of a life, but the memories he saw were only the good ones—His days with Lily. It made the pain bearable, getting to remember the days spent with Lily. She would get over her bad memories too, and she would thank him—yes, he was sure of this. He ran his hand through his greasy hair.

The memories were what made it worth it. That's why he considered Dark Arts exactly that—_art_. It was beautiful and deadly at the same time. Opposites. Him and Lily were oppisites. He stuck his hand into his robes, pulling out a note that had been delivered to him by an owl shortly before Lily had arrived.

He hadn't read it yet, but he knew who it was from by the cream colored owl that matched its owner's hair color. Lucius Malfoy, a Death Eater; a follower of one of the most dangerous wizards of all time. But also a follower of the only person Snape felt understood his love for this Dark Magic. This was the main reason Severus was interested in joining his forces.

Severus,

I have told Him about your achievements, and He is greatly interested. He would like to meet you. I will send you another owl letting you know when.

You have come far, Severus. Don't give up now.

LM

Severus took a shaky breath and read the letter again. And again. He couldn't believe it. He wanted to meet _him_? He hadn't even requested Mulciber's presence yet.

He read the letter again. Lucius has been Severus's guide since the beginning, he couldn't let him down now…

He read the letter again, so enveloped in his own thoughts, he didn't even notice James and Sirius sneak up on him, with Remus trailing behind.

James stuck his head up around Severus's shoulder and read the letter, his mouth falling open slightly. "LM? Lucius Malfoy, you mean?" James was shocked, he knew Snape was up to no good, but he didn't know the Slytherin would go _that_ far. He would deal with that mess later. For now, he just wanted to make sure Lily was as far away from him as possible, so she wouldn't get caught up in this mess.

Severus jumped, shoved the letter into his robes, but realized it was too late.

"Potter!" Snape shouted. "What do you want?" He glared at him with distaste. James smirked.

"My mates and I believe that you need to leave a certain Gryffindor alone before she gets hurt with that Dark Magic of yours." He turned serious. "You need to leave her out of this mess, Snape." He said, basically repeating himself.

Severus was shocked, somewhat. He should've known Potter would confront him sooner or later about Lily. But didn't he care about what the letter said…?

"I've known her longer than you,_ Potter._ Besides, what would make you think she even cares for _you_ at all." Snape spat.

James chuckled, looking down at his wand and back up at Snape.

He shot a spell at Snape suddenly, catching him off guard. It sent him flipping upside down and into the air. The letter and Snape's wand fell out of his robes while James sent him hanging from a nearby tree.

"Potter!" Snape frantically swung his arms in the air, trying to grab onto something. "Put me down, Potter!" James and Sirius were bent over laughing, while tears were forming in Snapes's eyes out of frustration.

A crowd was forming, and even the Slytherins managed a chuckle.

"Potter, you insolent little git..." He was cut off by Lily Evans storming through a bunch of Ravenclaws.

"_Potter_!" She screeched, throwing her book on the ground and stomping towards him, stopping inches from his face. "Potter, put him down." She spat.

He hadn't expected her to come, but that's alright, he can work around it. "I will… If you date me." He smirked, looking down at her through his glasses.

"You… you…" Lily was so angry she couldn't think of anything to say. "Potter, if you don't put him down _right now_…" She pulled out her wand. Why didn't she just wave her wand and have Snape come down? Honestly, she didn't know the spell.

Alas, he looked scared enough. She shoved her wand into his face. No, of course she couldn't really hurt him… He didn't know that though.

Snape was flabbergasted. She was picking him over Potter! He could fly, if he wasn't dangling from a tree…

The crowd hadn't dispersed yet. "Look, he needs his little Gryffindor to protect him…" He heard around him. "Relying on a Mudblood, pathetic."

Snape then realized how awful this was making him look and his feeling of glee was replaced by embarrassment. This made him seem awful, especially to the Slytherins. "I don't need your help, Lily…" He said earnestly.

Lily turned around, confused, but she chose to ignore him. "Potter, I'm warning you…" She stuck her wand closer to his face.

"Alright, alright!" He said, upset that he had to let the soon-to-be Death Eater down. With a flick of his wand, James sent Snape freefalling from the tree and onto the grass.

"Lily!" Snape said, sitting up. "I didn't need your help!" He said angrily.

Lily ignored his statements again. She bent over to help him pick up his things. She lifted the note from Lucius Malfoy, not intending to read it, but hand it back to him. Nevertheless, Snape panicked, afraid she would find out the truth about of.

"That's _enough_! I don't need your help, _Mudblood_!" Snape yelled at her out of his frustration and embarrassment.

Lily she fell backwards, so shocked. Her best friend had just called her a… a…

"I see." She pursed her lips and stood. Trying to ignore the pitied look James and his friends were giving her, she made her way back to the castle. She gulped down tears.

The crowd parted for her, avoiding her eyes.

She buried her face in the armrest of her chair (yes, _her_ chair) in the library, trying to muffle the sounds of her sobs. She was _so sick_ of crying.

She didn't know what James had done in the Great Hall earlier that day, so she figured everyone still hated her.

Now she didn't even have her best friend.

She stayed that way in the library until the clerk walked up to her and patted her back. "Lily dear, you need to go back to your dorm, its late…"

Lily wiped her eyes and nodded. "Sorry." She mumbled. "It's quite alright dear, rough day?" Lily nodded again. "The worst." The clerk smiled sadly.

"That Tiffany's a piece of work, huh?" Lily looked at the clerk curiously. How did she know about that?

"Us teachers know more than you kids give us credit for." She smiled, patting Lily on the shoulder and taking a seat across from her, where James sat earlier that day.

"My advice?" Lily felt this woman was being a bit intrusive, but she urged her to continue.

"James Potter is a good man. Much better than that Severus Snape fellow. He's up to no good… But James isn't a saint either, I wasn't sayin' he is."

Lily lifted one eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I think you should ask them about that." The clerk patted Lily's leg and sighed. "You need to head back to your common room, dear." She said again.

"Thank you." Lily smiled and waved a goodbye before exiting her hideout.

Thinking back on the conversation, Lily wondered how she knew so much of Lily's situation. But like she said, teachers pick up on a lot. She then realized she doesn't even know the kind woman's name…

It was dark out, so Lily was rushing through the corridors of the castle. She almost smacked into him, sitting outside the Gryffindor common room.

"Lily…" His nasally voice was sincere.

"Snape. I don't want to hear it." She responded curtly, stepping through the portrait hole after whispering the password.

"No, Lily, wait—"

She could hear the Fat Lady ask him, "Password?", silencing his attempts to call Lily back outside.

She let out a deep breath, collapsing into the chair next to the fireplace. She was freezing. The more she thought about her evening, she realized how strange it was that James, or any of his friends for that matter, didn't show up to comfort her in the library. Surely James or_ someone_ would have worried about her…

A chill went up her spine. She looked out the window, gazing at the full moon. She wasn't tired. She didn't want to sleep.

She needed air.

She ran up to her dorm, quietly pulling out warmer clothes. A black pea coat, her Gryffindor scarf, her white knit hat, grey pants, and black rain boots with fuzzy socks to keep her feet warm; hand-me-downs from Petunia.

Thank god Severus had gone back to the Slytherin common room, because she didn't see him when she stepped out the portrait hole.

She stepped into the cold winter air, loving the sound of snow crunching beneath her feet. She walked around the perimeter of the castle, but ended up on one of the many trails around Hogwarts. She even passed by Hagrid's hut a few times. He was the gamekeeper at Hogwarts, a brand new one, in fact.

She stopped short when she saw a black dog, a stag, and a rat running side by side into the Whomping Willow, a famous enchanted tree.

It stopped waving its branches for a moment to let them into the tunnel beside it.

How often do you see a dog, stag, and rat get along? Not very often, I would think.

She brushed it off and continued walking along the trail, looking down at her feet, not realizing that the trail actually made its way to the Whomping Willow. She couldn't help but think about how beautiful the stag was. She loved deer…

She finally looked up when she heard a howl coming from inside the tree. Not a dog howl, not even a wolf howl.

She knew for a fact it was a werewolf. She thought back on Snape's theory. He thought Remus was a werewolf… No. She willed herself to not believe it. Remus was back in his dorm, asleep or maybe even studying. Yes, that sounds correct.

She wanted to scream, she wanted to yell and run and not stop running until she was in China… But she couldn't move.

She was frozen on the spot.

She heard the stag's hooves clanking around beneath her, the tunnel must run under where she was standing… The howling was getting closer to the entrance of the tunnel. She stopped breathing.

The dog barked loudly, emerging from the tunnel, wagging its tail happily until it saw Lily.

It barked and whined, turning around and running back into the tunnel, its tail between its legs. She heard the stag's hooves clap frantically, until it too emerged from the tunnel, watching Lily.

Lily's head leaned to the side a bit, confused. These animals were acting really strange…

But she turned and ran anyway, having regained her senses, before tensing up again, goose bumps crawling up her arms and legs.

Another howl, this time, really close. The stag ran past Lily and disappeared behind her, the dog following soon after. She didn't think much of it.

They had a lesson on werewolves. They will kill any human they see, even their friend, and not even realize it.

She ran again, but she knew the werewolf would catch up and eat her alive. Her heart was racing, she couldn't think straight.

So much for bravery, Gryffindor.

She heard rustling behind her, but she didn't turn around until a hand wrapped around her waist. She screamed until she realized it wasn't the werewolf. "Lily…"

"Potter?!" Lily asked, flabbergasted.

"Lily, we need to go." He said sternly. Sirius then materialized from behind a bush, nodding.

"C'mon, Evans."

Lily looked from Sirius and James. "What the bloody hell is going on!" She yelled finally.

They were about to answer until another howl pierced the night air. Lily whimpered, falling into the snow. Her knees had given out.

"Shit. I knew we shouldn't have left him with Peter." Sirius said angrily, turning and running towards the sound of the howling. "Get her out of here!" Sirius yelled back at James before disappearing in some trees.

James nodding, looking down at Lily. She was dazed and confused. She had hit her head on something, a rock perhaps, so she was rubbing it under her long snow covered hair.

"Lily?" James spoke softly, not sure how she was going to react. "Lily, I'm going to pick you up now, okay? We're going to go back to the castle…"

"What about Sirius?!" She motioned back towards the wood. "And Peter!" She clapped a hand on her mouth. "Remus? Did he get him?!" She scrambled up from the snow. "We have to help."

"No, no. Everyone's fine." James assured her calmly, before his eyes widened. "Lily, you're bleeding…" She gingerly placed a hand back on her head, wincing.

She looked at her hand, now covered in her own blood. "Bloody hell…"

"C'mon." James said firmly. He became very forceful after he saw she was hurt. "You need taking care of. Everyone else is fine, it's you who needs help." He held his arm out, thinking she needed support.

She pushed it away, but tried taking a step and became very dizzy from loss of blood and toppled over. James's eyes became wider than saucers, sprinting over to catch her. He lifted her up and carried her back to the castle, glad that she finally stopped complaining.

He kicked open the portrait hole and lay her down on the red couch in the Gryffindor common room, running upstairs and coming back with a slightly damp towel.

She cringed when he put it on her head, but she made no objections. "No good at healing spells, yeah?" She said, managing a smile.

He chuckled softly. "The worst." She nodded slightly, "Same."

James looked away from her but took a seat and pulled it closer to the couch. His eyes returned to hers.

"I'm a git." He said softly. "And I'm really sorry." He looked away. "I hate how often I'm having to apologize to you, Lily."

She nodded. "Me too." She took his hand, making him look back at her. "But it's fine." She could hear the clerk's voice echo in the back of her head. 'James Potter is a good man.'

He smiled broadly, leaning down to kiss her, but she turned away. "I… I can't."

His smile disappeared, but he nodded. "…Alright. Uh… why?" He really didn't know what to say.

"I need to figure some things out." She said suddenly. James wanted to tell her what he had found out about Snape, but he figured he should let her rest. She really didn't need to worry about that now.

He nodded, not saying anything.

Sirius stepped through the portrait hole. Lily attempted to sit up, but failed and fell back. "Sirius!"

He smiled. "Miss me, did you?" Lily smiled, realizing he was alright.

James and him chuckled.

Lily suddenly gasped. "Where's Peter and Remus?!" She demanded. Sirius motioned out the portrait hole. "They'll be back soon, it's alright."

When they thought Lily wasn't looking, Sirius gave James a slight nod, making James stand. "I'll be back in a bit, Lily. I need to go… check something."

James looked over to Sirius. "Watch her." He pointed to Lily.

Sirius nodded, watching James shut the portrait. He clapped his hands together. "So! Lillers. Can I call you that?" He smiled. "That's your new nick-name, kiddo."

She laughed, but immediately had to stop; it made her head hurt. She managed a small smile.

"So… how's James?" Sirius asked, smirking playfully. Lily rolled her eyes.

"Potter? Don't know why you're asking _me_." She crossed her arms across her chest.

Sirius rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, imitating her. "You do know how much he fancies you, right?" Lily looked up. "Well, I uh… Yeah." She admitted.

"And you do realize he saved you from a lot of crap today." She raised an eyebrow. "Twice." Sirius added.

She was so intrigued she managed to sit up.

"Explain." She demanded.


	4. Chapter 4

"So you mean to tell me… Severus is a Death Eater?" Lily asked quietly.

"About to be one, yeah."

Lily took a deep breath. "So if you and James hadn't…"

"Who knows." Sirius replied shortly. Lily nodded.

"Well, I'm not surprised. He's the type." She shrugged trying to seem like she was telling the truth. "I'm done with him anyway. Through. Finished." She said, convincing herself.

Sirius nodded, eyebrows raised. "If you say so…"

"And James told the whole Great Hall the truth?" Lily asked, recapping their previous conversation.

"Yup."

"Well… thank you. For… you know." Lily looked down at her lap. Sirius nodded again.

"I guess I should talk to James…"

"You think?" Sirius snorted. "I'll go find him. You hang tight."

He turned to leave, but stopped in front of the portrait.

"Don't leave this room." He said, looking back at her.

She nodded, placing the wet towel on her head again and laying back against the couch. She groaned at the pain, but lay quietly after that.

The common room was boiling hot, because the fireplace was on. Which was weird, since it was so early in the morning, but she figured since she _was_ in an enchanted castle, these things tend to happen.

You'd think after six years a girl would get used to it.

She didn't want to remove the towel from her head for fear of making a mess, so she attempted to unbutton he pea coat. Did it work?

Not in the slightest. She couldn't even get the first one un-buttoned! She was probably working up a fever; she needed to get this bloody jacket off! She threw off her scarf.

Lily continued fidgeting with her jacket until James came in. Her heart skipped a beat. Yes, she had been having second thoughts about him ever since Sirius explained all that he had done for her.

She looked him over. His hair was ridiculously messy, his khakis had splashed of mud on them, and he was wearing a black jacket with a gray sweater peeking up behind the zipper. It reminded her a lot of the day before, when he came into the common room after Tiffany had spread the secret about her.

"Having problems?" He asked, smiling. The fire was reflecting off his glasses, making his brown eyes look auburn.

Lily giggled. "Yes!" She huffed, wiping her forehead. "It's so hot."

James looked at her jacket, taking a step forward. He bent over, his hands outstretched over her torso. The boy paused, looking up at Lily before beginning to unbutton the jacket.

Lily was breathing hard, but didn't say anything. She didn't take her eyes off of his hands, while his eyes were concentrating on the buttons.

It was quiet, so Lily's sharp intakes of breath were heard by James. His heart was hammering loudly, never have been in this position before. Sure, he _was_ a player, but he never took it farther than snogging.

When he finally managed to unbutton the whole coat, he reached up and pulled it off her arms, being careful of the arm holding the towel.

"Thank you…" Lily said after he threw the coat on the back of the couch and moved into a chair in the corner, keeping his distance.

He wanted to give her space, to let her 'figure things out' or whatever the bloody hell that means.

The white t-shirt she was too big on her, as were most of her clothes. Petunia was very tall, so she had to get clothes that were long enough for her, meaning they were massive on Lily.

Lily felt awkward. She knew what he had done for her. She just didn't want him to know… and she didn't know why she couldn't just say _thank you_ like any other respectable witch would.

She started to squirm. She tended to do this in awkward situations.

She coughed quietly, before looking up and noticing that he had been watching her.

"This couch… It's uncomfortable." She said meekly. James chuckled and nodded.

Out of the blue, James tilted his head and asked, "When was the last time you ate, Lily?"

She cringed. It _had _been a while… "Since Saturday, I suppose." She said, shrugging, trying to ignore the now evident pain in her stomach from malnourishment.

James bolted out of his chair. "Lily Evans!" He shook his head. "Can you walk?" He motioned to the painting.

Lily wondered where he would possibly be taking her.

"I can try!" She said, scooting to the edge of the couch, still keeping the towel in its place. She took up slowly, before wobbling over to James.

She slung her arm around his waist, trying to ignore how amazing his body was from Quidditch, before looking up at him and saying, "Sorry…" And standing up straight.

"So, where to, Mr. Potter?" She smiled up at him.

"Well, first, of all, we need to get your head taken care of." He crossed his arms and furrowed his brow, lost in thought.

Lily perked up, "I know! Mary Macdonald's really good at healing spells…" Lily smiled. "She's a sweetie, I could go wake her up, she wouldn't mind. I don't know why I didn't think of that before…"

She turned and bounded up the stairs leading to her dorm. "Mary?" She rubbed Mary's shoulder until Mary stirred.

"Lily?" Mary's eyes widened. "Lily! God, you had me worried! Are you okay? I haven't seen you in two days!" She grabbed Lily into tight hug, before realizing Lily had a head injury.

"Lily… where were you?" Mary asked, getting up and looking for her wand, shivering in the night air.

Lily wanted to tell her, she really did, but with her suspicions relating to Remus, she felt she shouldn't.

"I… well, um…" Lily was never any good at lying. "I was on a walk." She decided finally. It wasn't a lie…

Mary nodded. "Sure." She said, smiling. She pulled her wand, finally finding it under her pillow. "I should've checked there first!" She laughed, performing a healing spell.

"That should do it!" She smiled again, inspecting Lily's head and eventually nodding.

Lily sat up and hugged Mary, "Thank you so much!"

"Anytime, girl." Mary smiled and climbed back into her bed, snoring second after her head hit the pillow.

Lily scrambled up to go into the bathroom and wash out her hair. "James will wait." She said smiling, sure of this. Besides, she _needed_ a shower.

She was right, James was waiting.

She changed into a sweatshirt and black pants and tennis shoes. She muttered a drying spell and tied back her now dry hair.

She ran back downstairs and smiled, seeing James asleep on the couch.

His glasses were lopsided, and his hair was even more messy than usual. The dying fire in the fire place made his hair seem to dance.

She didn't want to wake him up, so she grabbed the nearest book and sat down in the nearest chair. She checked her watch. 4:00 in the morning… "Bloody hell." She said, angry with herself. She still wasn't even tired! She shook her head, burying herself in the book she had picked up.

The painting slammed, causing Lily to jump and whip around and James to sit up. "Lily! What? I fell asleep?" He looked around, confused.

"See, I told you they would be awake." Peter said loudly.

"Shut up, mate." Remus said, rubbing his eyes and lowering himself into a chair with a grunt.

Lily peered over at Remus, not saying anything. He didn't look good. She still didn't believe it…

Sirius raised a brow at James, a small smile on his face. "Your head's fixed…?" He said, looking back to Lily.

Lily smiled a nodded. "Mary Macdonald, she's brilliant." Sirius nodded thoughtfully. "She is, eh?"

"Don't get any idea's Sirius." She replied seriously. "I don't want you toying around with her feelings…"

Sirius frowned slightly and sat next to Remus.

James ran a hand through his raven hair and fixed his glasses.

"C'mon, Lily." He motioned her up. "We need to get you some food." He stuck his hands under his glasses, rubbing his eyes.

"Alright. Where are we going, exactly?" Lily asked, glad that she was feeling so much better. James smirked, finally waking. "You'll see."

He lifted his arm, hoping she would take it, but she just looked away.

"C'mon, Evans." He took a step forward. "It's dark out there." He cooed.

"And you can't use Lumos without waking up the whole castle!" Sirius chipped in from behind them, pulling out a piece of paper and studying it. It almost looked that the characters on it were moving…

"And I'd go now." Sirius said, giving James a look before glancing between him and the parchment.

"Bloody…" She huffed, grabbing his arm.

Lily and James wandered through the halls and down steps quietly before Lily peeped up.

"Thank you." She felt James turn to her. She could practically see his eyebrow lifted, a slight smile on his face.

"For telling everyone the truth." James took in a breath. How did she find out…? "And… _saving_ me from Snape." She had trouble saying the word 'saving'. It seemed so surreal.

James nodded, before realizing she couldn't see him. "It was nothing, really." It really wasn't, he would have done it all over again in a heartbeat.

"Well… thank you." She repeated, shivering in the cold air and gripping his arm tighter.

James felt her move closer, giving him goose bumps. "It's not much farther." He said, looking down at her, struggling to see her in the dark.

"Afraid we might get caught?" James asked in her ear. She yanked her arm from his and shoved him into a wall playfully, laughing loudly as if to show him she _wasn't_ afraid of getting caught.

"Do you mind?" A painting of an older man screeched at them.

"Very sorry!" James whispered as sincerely as he could, trying to muffle his laugh.

When they were farther away from the painting James leaned over, chuckling. "Nice one, Lily."

She giggled, nudging him slightly. She was trying to hide her shivers from him, but he could feel her practically vibrating on his arm.

"You cold?" He asked, looking down at her. She shrugged, not wanting him to worry. He stopped walking, surprising Lily. She could hear some ruffling and then felt him reach out for her hand, placing his jacket in it.

"Aw, James, no, I couldn't…" Lily said, eyeing the jacket. She attempted handing it back to him, but he put his arms in the air. "Take it, Lily." He pushed it back into her arms.

She gave in, putting the jacket around her shoulders. It smelled like pine musk and something she couldn't identify…

"Thank you" She said, smiling and taking deep breaths.

He nodded, feeling his nose go numb and sniffing involuntarily. He really wished he could see what she looked like in his jacket. Wonderful, he assumed.

He hurried along, before stopping in front of a painting of fruits.

He turned to her, lit up his wand slightly, illuminating his playful expression. He waited for her reaction.

"So you brought a hungry girl to a picture of fruits?" She demanded, obviously angry. "Amusing, James. Best one yet…" She huffed, crossing her arms and glaring at him.

He chuckled. "Impatient, are we?" He leaned over and tickled the bright green pear that stuck out like a sore thumb in the painting.

It swung open, revealing a very large white tile room, with tables set up exactly like the ones in the Great Hall.

On the other side of the tables, hundreds of elves running around the kitchen, preparing food that made Lily's mouth water.

"Can… Can we go in?" Lily asked, not taking her eyes off a pot of porridge being made.

James chuckled, watching Lily. He was right; she looked wonderful. "Of course." Placing his hand on the small of her back, he guided her into the kitchen.

James moved around her so he was standing behind the counter separating them from the busy elves. Setting his hands on it, he peered over, searching through the crowd.

"Mr. Potter!" An elf squeaked, squirming to get over to him. James smiled. "Ah, Slinky!" He reached over the counter and shook the elf's hand. "Great to see you, mate."

"Slinky is very pleased to see Mr. Potter as well, sir."

James smiled and nodded. "Slinky I would like you to meet my good friend Lily Evans." James smiled and ushered Lily over. She walked up shyly, pushing loose strands of hair behind her ear. "Hello Slinky." She held out her hand and the elf took it. "Slinky is pleased to meet you, Ms. Evans."

"Call me Lily." She urged, smiling down at her new friend. "He won't." Chuckled James, "I've _never_ been able to get him to call me James."

Slinky laughed quietly. "So, what can Slinky do for Mr. Potter and Ms. Evans?"

James looked over at a blushing Lily. "Well, Slinky, I have a hungry girl on my hands." Slinky turned to Lily. "Slinky wonders if Ms. Evans is in the mood for anything particular?"

Lily looked up at James before answering, "That porridge smelled divine…"

"Right away, Ms. Evans. Have a seat with Mr. Potter over there, if you wish." He motioned to a little able off to the side with two seats on either side.

James nodded to the table and followed Lily over.

They sat down awkwardly. James couldn't help but realize how much this was like a date. He smiled slightly, glancing over at her when he had the chance.

Lily was getting dizzy from all the questions she needed to ask. She needed to know the truth about Remus. And why were James Sirius and Peter out there anyway?

She rubbed her temple, avoiding James's eyes. "Um…"

"Yeah?"

"What were you and the boys doing tonight?"

He knew this was coming. Lily was the brightest witch he knew. "Lily… I want to tell you." He didn't take his eyes off the large arrangement of enchanted tables lay out before them, decorated with the house colors.

She sighed, leaning back and crossing her arms. "This was what I needed to figure out…" She tilted her head slightly, wanting him to look at her. She wanted to know what was going on in his head.

Slinky wobbled forward. "Here you are, Ms. Evans." The elf turned to James. "Slinky wonders if Mr. Potter would like anything?" James smiled and said "Pumpkin juice would be great." Slinky snapped his fingers and a large cup and pitcher appeared on the table, full of pumpkin juice.

"Thank you, Slinky." James and Lily said in union, causing everyone to laugh.

Slinky bowed and scurried away, eager to get back to work.

Lily watched him leave, "How did you meet him?"

James smiled. "He used to belong to my uncle's family. When my uncle died, we asked Professor Dumbledore if he wanted an extra hand since no one else in my family needed him." He took a sip from his pumpkin juice. "He's much happier here than he ever was with my uncle." James added.

Lily nodded. "Well that's good." Lily looked back at James. "Well, anyways. Are you going to tell me?" She lifted an eyebrow, shoving some porridge into her mouth.

James chuckled and looked away, swirling his thumb around his glass of pumpkin juice while using the other one to run his fingers through his hair.

Letting out a breath he looked back at Lily. "Lily…" She rolled her eyes.

"Just tell me." She looked at his hand, now placed on the table.

"I can't." He replied firmly, looking her in the eyes. "I wish I could…" He trailed off.

"You can, but you won't." Lily pointed out, playing with her food despite how hungry she was.

James nodded, trying to hide a smile. She was adorable.

"You're right." James leaned forward slightly. "I would tell you if I could, Lily."

"_I know,_ James." Lily said without thinking.

"James again, yeah?" He lifted a brow. "It's getting hard to keep up."

She laughed, finishing her porridge. "Whatever, _James_." She crossed her legs and plopped her hands in her lap.

"Should I be worried?" She asked quietly, out of the blue.

James shook his head, not taking his eyes off her. "Not at all. Really." He said as reassuring as he could. Not completely truthful… but she wouldn't know.

They walked back to the common room quietly, arms linked together. When they arrived, James sighed and watched Lily fall on the couch, out like a light, snuggling into his jacket. Sirius, Remus and Peter were gone.

He waved his wand, making the various lights dim and the fire die down into a spark. He conjured up a blanket, surveying her as it landed over her body.

Not wanting to leave her, he made a pillow and a blanket appear next to the fire, giving him perfect view of Lily.

The fire made her hair illuminate like fire.

James Potter fell in love with Lily Evans that night.

* * *

**AN: HELP! I'm not sure if I should finish it here. I could keep going, but I don't know. HELP!**

**-Kat**


	5. Chapter 5

_Crack._

Thunder shook the common room, awaking Lily with a start. It was 7:00 in the morning, she had an hour until her first class of the day. Potions. With Snape in her class.

Yay.

She sat up, stretching before looking over and seeing James. She smiled broadly, watching him shift in his sleep. His shirt had come up slightly, revealing his bloody_ fantastic_ body.

She sighed, figuring she should wake him up so he didn't miss breakfast.

She crawled out of the blanket she had tangled around her—When did that get there?—and scurried over to James.

_They were curled up next to the fire in the Gryffindor common room on the floor, leaning against a gold and red chair. James had his arm wrapped around Lily's shoulder lamely ,and she was sitting on his lap, textbook laying on hers. They were studying for a Potions final. Really, it was just Lily studying, and James was just relishing the moment. _

_He sighed contently, breathing in the scent of her. Flowers, grass, and something sweet. Vanilla, perhaps? She began to close to textbook, but not before looking up at her boyfriend. "You done?" James nodded, eager to have her to himself._

_She smiled, closed the textbook fully, and crawled around his legs so she was facing him. Her smile turned devious. "What now, James?" _

_He leaned into her, mumbling, "I have a few ideas…" _

"_James? James! JAMES!" James felt his shoulder being shook..._

"James? James! JAMES!" Lily shook James's shoulder, attempting to wake him. James sat up quickly, in a daze, looking around the common room.

"Lily?" His shoulders relaxed, a smile appeared on his face.

She smiled slightly, patting him on the shoulder before standing up. "Nice dream, eh?" She eyed him.

James froze. Ever get the eerie feeling someone can read your mind?

"Yeah…" He chuckled. "Pretty good." She lifted a brow.

"Well, Potions starts in an hour." She turned to leave, but stopped and turned back around. She took his jacket off, trying to hide her smile.

"Thank you." She tossed it over to him and he caught it with ease. "For everything." James nodded and watched her leave to her dorm.

He looked down at the jacket. Curious, he lifted it to his face.

"Flowers, grass, vanilla." He smirked.

Lily was already at the Great Hall when James came in. She was sitting across from Mary Macdonald and another girl whom he knew to be Alice, he hadn't the slightest idea her last name, though. None of his mates were in the Great Hall yet, so he decided to stop and chat.

"Hullo, ladies." James smiled, approaching the table. Lily leaned back from Mary and Alice, as if she were just telling them a secret.

He nodded to Mary and Alice, before his eyes fell upon Lily. "Hi, Lily." He smirked down at her before sitting down next to her on the bench. "Sleep well?" He didn't break eye contact. She blushed, her face turning a glorious shade of scarlet.

"Yes, and I assume you did too?" She smiled largely, scooping up porridge and plopping it into a bowl, adding sugar and milk.

James lifted an eyebrow. Playing along, "It was alright. My back hurts a bit, really. Porridge any good?" He held a devious smile. She nodded, stifling giggles.

Mary and Alice exchanged looks, but shrugged and decided against saying anything, munching on their pastries instead.

Laughing could be heard behind them, James turned and saw Sirius, Remus, and Peter walk into the Great Hall.

Sirius was magically turning Peter's hair different colors, making him bark loudly with laughter. Remus just shook his head, laughing meekly. Peter was laughing along too, but with a confused expression on his face.

James chuckled, watching the dramatic entrance his mates were making. They walked up to where James was sitting, looking around at his company. Sirius smiled broadly at Mary and said, "We eating here today, boys?"

Not giving anyone anytime to answer, Sirius jumped on the bench James was on, stepped over the table, and sat down next to Mary, not even acknowledging the flabbergasted looks on anyone's face, including the Professors.

Peter followed suit, sitting next to a now very uncomfortable looking Alice. Remus shook his head at his rash friend's actions, sitting next to Lily quietly.

"Hullo, boys." Lily said, keeping a watchful eye on Remus, whose head was now in his hands. "You okay, Remus?"

"Fine… uh, headache."

"You need to eat something, mate…" James urged, piling bacon and eggs onto a plate and handing it to Remus.

Remus nodded, nibbling on some bacon. Sirius leaned in, speaking to Mary. "So, I hear you're good at healing spells?"

She leaned into Alice, trying to get away from him. "Pretty good I suppose…" Alice sniggered.

They day went by quick enough, Lily just found herself ignoring Snape altogether in Potions.

oOo

It was at night.

As usual, Lily was in the library. Making her way through the massive room, trying to find a book to help her in Potions. Sure, she was great at Potions, but only when Snape helped her. She re-slung her bag over her shoulder.

Professor Slughorn mentioned something about having the class begin to create amortentia, a love potion, which was a very difficult potion to master.

She finally just grabbed a random potions book and made her way over to her haven, figuring she could find what she needed inside its pages.

She stopped short.

"James Potter, what the bloody hell do you think you're doing in _my_ chair?" She demanded, stomping around the chair so she was in front of him.

James smirked. "Oh hello, Lily." He sat, looking up at her through his glasses, his thumbs twirling around each other, watching her throw her bag to the floor in front of the chair.

"James. _Move._" Lily demanded, pointing her finger to the other chair in the room.

James shook his head. "Nah. I rather like this chair." He bounced up and down on it, mocking her, a huge grin on his face.

"If you don't move, I will sit on you." His eyebrows raised. "And I'm very heavy." She added quickly.

James smirked again, patting his lap. "I'm not moving, Lil."

"Ugh!" She yelled, putting her book on the table next to the chair, adjusting her skirt, and slamming her rump in his lap, attempting to hurt him.

James just smiled and wrapped his arms around her stomach, pulling her in closer. "No, no. Stop that." She said sternly, unlocking his arms from around her waist. "This is punishment."

James laughed loudly. "Sure it is, Lil." She turned to him and squinted her eyes. "Hush, you." Shoving a small finger in his face.

She flipped open her book to the love potion page. Not being very comfortable, she leaned back, but at an angle so she wasn't on top of James. Really, it wasn't much more comfortable.

James peered over at the book she was reading. "Love potion, yeah?" Lily blushed.

"We're doing them soon in Potions, okay. I'm trying to study."

James crossed his arms and leaned against the arm rest. "Alright, then. Tell me about it."

Lily looked up at him. "Well, it makes the person who drinks the said potion fall in love with the person who gives it to them. It smells like the person you love if you were to smell it." She said matter of factly.

James nodded. He knew exactly what his amortentia would smell like.

Curious, he sat up so he was closer to Lily. "Lil, what do I smell like?" He leaned forward so she could smell him, a playful smile on his lips.

But to his surprise, she answered without smelling him. "Pine. Outdoorsy, you know? And musk. And… leather. From Quidditch I assume."

"You didn't need to smell me?" He said, chuckling and leaning back again. She blushed and shook her head, making hair fall out of her bun.

"No..." She admitted sheepishly. She should've at least pretended to smell him.

"What do I smell like?" She asked, lifting an eyebrow.

James smirked. "Flowers, mainly. And grass. Plus something really sweet. Vanilla maybe…"

She nodded. "I can see that… I use vanilla shampoo." She said laughing.

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Yeah, that would do it."

Lily smiled, returning to her book. She was surprised at how much she liked his company even though she was trying to study.

And as if he read her mind and wanted her to suffer, he squirmed from underneath her and got up to leave.

"I guess I should get going." He said, turning to the door.

"No!" Lily jumped and grabbed his hand, pulling him back. She didn't realize that this was going to send them falling on top of each other and back onto the chair.

Lily's eyes were bigger than quaffles when she realized how they ended up. James had somehow ended up between her legs, his hips pushing her skirt up embarrassingly high. His face was in her neck, his arms on either side of her shoulders, no doubt he tried to catch himself.

She sat with her mouth ajar, too afraid to move. His lifted himself up slowly, so they were face to face.

"Well… uh, this is awkward." He said, laughing meekly. She nodded quickly, not taking her eyes off his.

He stood up, looking away as she scrambled to pull her skirt down.

"Um, so why did you want me to stay?" He asked. Lily shrugged. "I don't know…" She smiled a little.

He smirked. "Well, _obviously_ you want me to stay awfully bad, so fine." He sat in a chair near hers, laughing when he saw her roll her eyes.

Striking up conversation, Lily asked, "So are you ready for the charms final?" He shook his head. "Not at all. I'm bloody awful at charms. I doubt I'm even going to make it to next year… " He blushed slightly.

Lily shook her head, leaning over to her bag. "Now that just won't do." She pulled out her charms notes and waved her wand, making the two chairs they were in connect with a large '_woosh'_ sound, creating a couch.

James beamed at Lily as she flipped through the charms book.

She found the page she was looking for and scooted closer to him. James became painfully aware of their thighs touching. "Okay, so this one isn't that bad. It's called Muffilato, it's a silencing charm." She pulled her wand out from behind her ear, doing a flick then swish motion. "Flick and swish."

"It makes it so no one would be able hear you and I, or just you. It really just depends on what _you_ want the spell to do." She added, scanning her notes.

James pulled his wand out from the hem of his pants, and attempted the spell. A bang erupted from his wand, and a flash of light blinded them both temporarily. They both paused, waiting for the clerk to show up and kick them out, but no such thing happened.

Lily waved smoke away from her face, coughing slightly. James laughed, blushing and fixing his glasses. "Well that wasn't right."

Lily threw her head back and laughed. "Not in the slightest, James." She nudged him playfully, shaking her head.

"I told you I'm rubbish at charms. You can't say you weren't warned!"

"This is very true." Lily said, laughing along.

"I'm not rubbish at other things, as you may already know." He said cockily, straightening up a bit.

"Oh?" Lily asked, closing the charms book. She figured they were done with that for the day. "Such as?"

"DA, Quidditch, snogging…"

Lily giggled. "I'm rubbish at DA_ and_ Quidditch. Flying is absolutely terrifying… I hate heights."

James nodded. "And the third?" He lifted his eyebrow smirking.

She blushed, turning a deep shade of red. "I… well… um, I don't know…"

He didn't think _that_ would be her answer. She avoided his gaze.

"Lily…. Have you ever snogged someone?" He asked, feeling his heart soar. Her innocence made it _that much better._ He then realized how desperately he wanted to be her first snog. Her only snog.

She turned her head the opposite direction of him and shook her head. "Boys have cooties."

James laughed, scooting closer to her slightly, even though there was practically no scooting space. "Some are immune, you know." She laughed, turning back to face him.

"I doubt _that_."

"Oh really?"

Yes, really, James." She rolled her eyes, smiling.

James became serious. "I could prove it to you."

"And how, exactly could you prove it—Oh." She blushed furiously again, suddenly becoming very enticed by her two thumbs swirling around each other in her lap.

James chuckled slightly. He tucked a bright red stray hair out of her face, smiling down at her.

She sneaked a peek at him, to see that he was staring at her. "What?"

"You're so beautiful, Lily…" He messed with a curl of her hair, not taking his eyes off hers. She was blushing so deeply she almost looked purple.

"James…." She was silenced by him leaning in and kissing her lightly on the mouth. He backed away slightly, keeping his eyes shut. She kept her eyes open, however, and was staring at his mouth. She was racking her brain trying to think of the pros and cons of kissing this terribly handsome 16 year old.

After about five seconds of hard thinking, she closed her eyes and closed the gap between them, not wanting to think anymore.

He smiled into the kiss, letting out a sigh of relief. He wrapped one of his arms around her waist, while running the other one through her hair.

Lily, on the other hand, had no idea what to do with her hands. She decided to lay them shakily on his chest. She was so incredibly nervous… Until he made a little moaning sound at her touch. She giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Finally, they broke apart. "Feedback on our snogging?" James said, panting heavily, staring at her lovingly. "Perfect."

Lily smiled. "This changes things I suppose…"

James laughed, nodding. "I suppose it does."

oOo

Lily heard a light knock on her window.

She sat up groggily, rubbing her eyes. Shivering as her feet hit to cold stone floor, she grabbed her cloak and her wand, making her way over to the glass to investigate.

"James?!" She whispered angrily, opening the window a crack. "James, what the bloody hell are you doing?!"

He was floating outside her window on his broomstick, a goofy grin played out on his face.

"Coming to see you, of course. Happy Birthday, Lily!" He pulled on the window so it was open completely.

Ignoring his statement about her birthday in an attempt to stay angry for his risky behavior, "Just because you're Head Boy and I'm Head Girl now doesn't mean diddly-squat if we get caught doing this." She motioned between them, proving her point, but she was desperately trying to hide her smile.

James waved her statement away with his hand. "I want to show you something, Lil."

Lily looked back to her dorm-mates. Only four people know that Lily and James have been dating since sixth year, and that's Mary, Sirius, Remus, and Peter. James and Lily figured it would be easier to keep their relationship running smoothly if no one knew.

"Do you know what could have happened if one of them heard you and not me?" Lily asked, trying to sound angry.

"I know, I'm sorry, I just wanted to show you something…" James repeated, holding out his hand, hoping she would take it.

She sighed, finally letting her smile show. "Alright…" She took his hand and felt herself being pulled onto the broom, closing the window behind her.

"Bloody hell!" She screeched, realizing how high up they were. She turned so she was facing James's chest and buried her face in it. Upon doing this, she found herself face first into a flower.

"Happy birthday, Lil." James smiled, holding up the lily.

Lily couldn't stop smiling as she lifted the flower to her nose. "Thank you, James." She said, leaning forward and kissing him.

He smiled, taking the lily and placing it behind her ear. "Do you trust me, Lily?" James asked, still messing with her hair.

"With my life."

"Good. 'Cause away we go!"

They took off, zooming away from the castle and above the Forbidden Forest, Lily gripping James so tightly her knuckles were white.

James smiled, looking down at Lily. She was adorable. "Lily, look. It's okay. I'll sow down…"

She opened her eyes slightly, gasping at the beautiful scene before her. They were past the Forbidden Forest, and now above a meadow of some sort.

Spring at Hogwarts was beautiful, even at night.

James landed.

Lily hopped off the broom. She dizzily lowered herself to the grass, twirling the lily between her fingers and smiling.

"I know it's cheesy." Lily looked up at James, waiting for him to continue. "But I enchanted that lily to stay alive as long as we love each other." He lowered himself next to her. "So as long as you love me, and I love you back, it will stay alive."

Lily jumped up and kissed him with such enthusiasm, it knocked him over completely, landing them in a pile of dew covered flowers. They laughed harder than they had in a long time.

"You know, that reminded me of the night we started dating." James said, laying back while Lily snuggled into his chest, playing with the lily again.

"When I knocked you over? Oh Merlin, don't remind me." They laughed again.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

They watched the full moon go down, hearing joyful faint howls in the distance.

Somewhere, to this day, is a full bloomed lily, in loving memory of Lily and James Potter.

* * *

AN: Hey guys! It's been a while! The last bit is a prologue, and yes James missed a full moon with Remus to spend it with Lily on her birthday.

REVIEW PLEASEEEEEEEE

~~~~~Kat007


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